Metal-insensitive epitaxy formation

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a method forming a field effect transistor (FET) in accordance with some embodiments. The method includes performing an etching process to a semiconductor substrate, thereby forming recesses in source and drain (S/D) regions of the semiconductor substrate; forming a passivation material layer of a first semiconductor in the recesses; and epitaxially growing a second semiconductor material, thereby forming S/D features in the recesses, wherein the S/D features are separated from the semiconductor substrate by the passivation material layer.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application62/040,880 entitled “METAL-INSENSITIVE EPITAXY FORMATION,” filed Aug.22, 2014, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor industry has progressed into nanometer technologyprocess nodes in pursuit of higher device density, higher performance,and lower cost. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e.,the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generallyincreased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line)that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. Thisscaling down process generally provides benefits by increasingproduction efficiency and lowering associated costs. Despitegroundbreaking advances in materials and fabrication, scaling planardevice such as the conventional MOSFET has proven challenging. Forexample, such scaling-down also produces a relatively high powerdissipation value. To overcome these challenges, IC industries look tonovel structures and fabrication to deliver improved performance. Oneavenue of inquiry is the development of strained field effect transistor(FET) with enhanced mobility. However, the existing structure andfabrication method present issues associated with the metalcontamination, which introduces device defects and other performanceconcerns.

Therefore, there is a need for a structure and method for a FET deviceto address these concerns for enhanced performance and reduced defects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isemphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in theindustry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, thedimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased orreduced for clarity of discussion.

FIGS. 1A, 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 7 and 8A are sectional views of a semiconductorstructure at various fabrication stages constructed in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIGS. 1B, 4B, 5B and 8B are sectional views of a semiconductor structureat various fabrication stages constructed in accordance with some otherembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a semiconductor structure constructedaccording to other embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a semiconductor structure constructedaccording to other embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a semiconductor structure constructed inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 11-12 are sectional views of the semiconductor structure of FIG.10 constructed in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method making a semiconductor structureconstructed according to various aspects of the present disclosure insome embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method making a semiconductor structureconstructed according to various aspects of the present disclosure insome other embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a method making a semiconductor structureconstructed according to various aspects of the present disclosure insome other embodiments.

FIG. 16 illustrates a deposition process in the method of FIG. 15 andthe corresponding E/D factor in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 17 illustrates a deposition process in the method of FIG. 15 andthe corresponding E/D factor in accordance with some other embodiments.

FIG. 18 illustrates a deposition process in the method of FIG. 15 andthe corresponding E/D factor in accordance with some other embodiments.

FIG. 19 illustrates a deposition process in the method of FIG. 15 andthe corresponding E/D factor in accordance with some other embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides manydifferent embodiments, or examples, for implementing different featuresof various embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangementsare described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, ofcourse, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.Moreover, the formation of a first feature over or on a second featurein the description that follows may include embodiments in which thefirst and second features are formed in direct contact, and may alsoinclude embodiments in which additional features may be formedinterposing the first and second features, such that the first andsecond features may not be in direct contact.

FIGS. 1A, 2, 3, 4A, 5A, 7 and 8A are sectional views of a semiconductorstructure 100 at various fabrication stages constructed in accordancewith some embodiments. FIGS. 1B, 4B, 5B and 8A are sectional views ofthe semiconductor structure at various fabrication stages constructed inaccordance with some other embodiments. The semiconductor structure 100and the method making the same are collectively described in accordancewith some embodiments. In one embodiment, the semiconductor structure100 includes one or more field effect transistor (FET).

Referring to FIG. 1A, the semiconductor structure 100 includes asemiconductor substrate 110. The semiconductor substrate 110 includessilicon. Alternatively, the substrate includes germanium, silicongermanium or other proper semiconductor materials. In anotherembodiment, the semiconductor substrate 110 may include a burieddielectric material layer for isolation formed by a proper technology,such as a technology referred to as separation by implanted oxygen(SIMOX). In some embodiments, the substrate 110 may be a semiconductoron insulator, such as silicon on insulator (SOI).

As various examples for illustration, the semiconductor structure 100includes other components or features. In some embodiments, isolationfeatures, such as various shallow trench isolation (STI) features 112,are formed in the semiconductor substrate 110 and define varioussemiconductor regions (or active regions) 114. The semiconductor regions114 are separated and isolated from each other by the STI features 112.In one example, the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 110 andthe top surfaces of the STI features 112 may be coplanar, resulting in acommon top surface. In another example, the top surface of thesemiconductor substrate 110 and the top surfaces of the STI features 112are not coplanar, resulting in a three-dimensional structure, such as afin FET (FinFET) structure.

In some embodiments, the formation of the STI features 112 includes,forming a hard mask with openings that define the regions for STIfeatures; etching the semiconductor substrate 110 through the openingsof the hard mask to form trenches in the semiconductor substrate;depositing one or more dielectric material to fill in the trenches; andperforming a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. As oneembodiment for illustration, the depth of the STI features 112 rangesbetween about 50 nm and about 500 nm. In one example, the formation ofthe hard mask includes depositing a hard mask layer; a lithographyprocess to form a patterned resist layer on the hard mask layer; andetching the hard mask layer using the patterned resist layer as an etchmask. In some examples, the deposition of the dielectric materialfurther includes thermal oxidation of the trenches and then filling inthe trenches by the dielectric material, such as silicon oxide, by CVD.In one example, the CVD process to fill in the trenches includes highdensity plasma CVD (HDPCVD). In some embodiments, the formation of theSTI features 112 further includes removing the hard mask after CMP. Inanother embodiment, the hard mask includes a silicon oxide layer bythermal oxidation and a silicon nitride on the silicon oxide layer bychemical vapor deposition (CVD).

In FIG. 1A, the active region 114 is designed to form a FET, such as ap-type FET (pFET) or an n-type FET (nFET). In some embodiments, a dopedwell 116 may be formed in one or more active region 114. In someexamples, the doped well 116 includes an n-type dopant, such asphosphorous (P), distributed in an active region where a pFET is to beformed. The n-type dopant may be introduced to the n-well 116 through anopening of the mask layer by a suitable doping process, such as one ormore ion implantation. In some other examples, the doped well 116includes a p-type dopant, such as boron (B), distributed in an activeregion where an nFET is to be formed. The p-type dopant may beintroduced to the p-well 116 through an opening of the mask layer by asuitable doping process, such as one or more ion implantation. The STIfeatures 112 further functions to define the dopants to the desiredactive regions. In the present example for illustration, the n-well 116is formed in the semiconductor region 114. In one example, the dopedwell 116 may have a corresponding doping concentration ranging betweenabout 10¹⁶ and 10¹⁸ cm⁻³. In another example, the doped well 116 mayhave a depth ranging between about 0.5 micrometers and 2 micrometers. Achannel region 118 is defined in the active region 114 and serves as aconductive path when the corresponding FET is turned on duringoperations.

The semiconductor structure 100 may include more active regions. Asillustrated in FIG. 1B, the semiconductor structure 100 includes a firstactive region 114A and a second active region 114B, which are separatedby one STI feature 112 in some examples. The first active region 114A isdesigned for an nFET to be formed thereon and the second active region114B is designed for a pFET to be formed thereon. In this case, a p-typedoped well 116A is formed in the first active region 114A for the nFETand an n-type doped well 116B is formed in the second active region 114Bfor the pFET by a suitable procedure. In some examples, the proceduremay include covering the first active region with a first mask (hardmask or soft mask patterned by lithography process); performing a firstion implantation to the second active region with an n-type dopant usingthe first mask as implantation mask; covering the second active regionwith a second mask (hard mask or soft mask patterned by lithographyprocess); and performing a second ion implantation to the first activeregion with a p-type dopant using the second mask as implantation mask.In the following description, one exemplary active region and one FETare usually present for simplicity. However, two exemplary activeregions and two FETs are present in some figures, in order to describedifferent embodiments, such as a nFET and a pFET that are different interms of composition, configuration and/or formation.

Referring to FIG. 2, a gate stack 120 is formed on the active region 114and a channel region 118 is defined in the active region 114. The gatestack 120 is overlying the channel region 118 and is vertically alignedwith the channel region 118. The gate stack 120 includes a gatedielectric feature 122 disposed on the semiconductor substrate 110 and agate electrode 124 disposed on the gate dielectric feature 122. Thesemiconductor structure 100 may further include gate spacers 126disposed on sidewalls of the gate stack 120.

The gate dielectric feature 122 includes a gate dielectric material,such as silicon oxide or a suitable dielectric material having a higherdielectric constant (high-k dielectric material). In the presentembodiment, the gate dielectric feature 122 includes more than onedielectric material layers. For example, the gate dielectric feature 122includes an interfacial dielectric layer, such as silicon oxide, and ahigh-k dielectric material layer on the interfacial layer.

The gate electrode 124 includes a conductive material layer, such asdoped polysilicon, metal, metal alloy, metal silicide, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the gate electrode 124 includes more thanone conductive material layers. For example, the gate electrode 124includes a first conductive layer having a suitable work function on thegate dielectric feature 122 and a second conductive layer on the firstconductive layer. In one example, the first conductive layer includestantalum nitride or titanium nitride. In another example, the secondconductive layer includes aluminum, tungsten, copper, doped polysiliconor a combination thereof.

The gate stack 120 is formed by a procedure that includes variousdeposition processes and patterning. The formation of the gate stack 120is further described in accordance with some embodiments. In oneembodiment, an interfacial layer is formed on the semiconductorsubstrate 110. The interfacial layer may include silicon oxide formed bya proper technique, such as an atomic layer deposition (ALD), thermaloxidation or UV-Ozone Oxidation. The interfacial layer may have athickness less than 10 angstrom. A high k dielectric material layer isformed on the interfacial layer. The high-k dielectric layer includes adielectric material having the dielectric constant higher than that ofthermal silicon oxide, about 3.9. The high k dielectric material layeris formed by a suitable process such as ALD or other suitable technique.Other methods to form the high k dielectric material layer include metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), physical vapor deposition(PVD), UV-Ozone Oxidation or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In oneembodiment, the high k dielectric material includes HfO2. Alternatively,the high k dielectric material layer includes metal nitrides, metalsilicates or other metal oxides. The interfacial layer and the high kdielectric material layer constitute the gate dielectric layer.

In some embodiments, the gate electrode 124 includes polysilicon. Apolysilicon layer is formed on the gate dielectric layer by a propertechnique, such as CVD. In one example, a capping layer may be furtherformed between the high k dielectric material layer and the polysiliconlayer by a proper technique, such as PVD. The capping layer may includetitanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN) or a combination thereofin some examples. The capping layer may serve one or more functions,such as diffusion barrier, etch stop, and/or protection.

After the depositions, the gate material layers are patterned to formthe gate stack 120 (or a plurality of gate stacks). The patterning ofthe gate stack 120 includes a lithography process and etching. Alithography process forms a patterned resist layer. In one example, thelithography process includes resist coating, soft baking, exposing,post-exposure baking (PEB), developing, and hard baking. The gate stackmaterial layers are thereafter patterned by etching using the patternedresist layer as an etching mask. The etching process may include one ormore etching steps. For example, multiple etching steps with differentetchants may be applied to etch respective gate stack material layers.

In other embodiments, the patterning of the gate stack material layersmay alternatively use a hard mask as an etching mask. The hard mask mayinclude silicon nitride, silicon orynitride, silicon oxide, othersuitable material, or a combination thereof. A hard mask layer isdeposited on the gate stack material layers. A patterned resist layer isformed on the hard mask layer by a lithography process. Then, the hardmask is etched through the opening of the patterned resist layer,thereby forming a patterned hard mask. The patterned resist layer may beremoved thereafter using a suitable process, such as wet stripping orplasma ashing.

The gate spacers 126 include a dielectric material and may have one ormore films. In some embodiments, the fate spacers 126 include siliconoxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, other suitable dielectricmaterial, or a combination thereof. The gate spacers 126 are formed bydeposition and anisotropic etch (such as dry etch).

In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure 100 may includelight-doped drain (LDD) features 128 formed in the active region 114 bya suitable process, such as ion implantation. The LDD features 128 havea doping type opposite to that of the doped well 116. For example for apFET, the doped well 116 is n-type and the LDD features 128 are p-type.In another example for a nFET, the doped well 116 is p-type and the LDDfeatures 128 are n-type. The LDD features 128, the dummy gate stack andgate spacers 126 may be formed in a collective procedure. For examples,the gate stack material layers are deposited and patterned to form thedummy gate stack; the LDD features are formed by ion implantation usingthe dummy gate stack (and STI features) to constrain the LDD features;and then the spacers are formed. In other embodiments, the LDD features128 are optional and may be eliminated from the semiconductor structure100.

Referring to FIG. 3, recesses 132 are formed in the semiconductorsubstrate within the active region 114 by an operation that includesetching. In some embodiments, the recesses 132 may be formed using, suchas a wet (and/or dry) etch process, selectively etch the material of thesubstrate 110. In furtherance of the embodiments, the gate stack 120,the gate spacers 126, and the STI 112 collectively function as anetching hard mask, thereby forming the recesses 132 in the source anddrain regions. In some examples, an etchant such as carbon tetrafluoride(CF4), tetramethylammonium hydroxide (THMA), other suitable etchant, ora combination thereof is used to form the recesses 132. In someembodiments, the recesses 132 are formed with a width ranging from 50 Åand about 400 Å. A cleaning process may follow the etching process usinga suitable chemical. The recesses 132 are substantially aligned with thegate structure, particularly aligned with outer edges of the gatespacers 126. As labeled in FIG. 3, the horizontal distance “D” issubstantially zero in some examples. In some other examples, thedistance “D” is greater than zero due to directionality of the etchingprocess and/or the shadowing effect of the gate stacks 120 during theetching process. In some other examples when a wet etchant is used,lateral etch may additionally undercut the spacers 126. In this case,the distance “D” may be less than zero or negative, which meansundercut. The recesses 132 may have different geometries, such ashexagonal, depending on design and tuning of the etching process. Forexample, a wet etching process is substantially non-directionalisotropic but the etch rate is related to the crystal orientation of asubstrate surface to be etched.

In experiments, it is found that the metal residuals, such as noblemetals, may present in the recesses 132. The metal residuals may beintroduced to the recesses during the operation to form the recesses132, such as wet etch, dry etch, and/or cleaning process. The metalresiduals are identified, through our experiments and failure modeanalysis, to be the root cause of defects formed in the substrate 110during subsequent operations to fill the recesses 132. In the presentembodiments, the defects are formed through a mechanism ofmetal-assisted silicon etching. When chlorine is involved in thesubsequent operations for filling the recesses, the metal residualsfunction as catalyst during chlorine-containing etching. Particularly,the silicon beneath the noble metal is etched much faster than thesilicon without noble metal coverage. As a result, the noble metal sinksinto the silicon substrate, generating pores or rough profile in thesubstrate. This will introduce defects, such as micro-porous structuresto the substrate. The present disclosed method and structure aredesigned to address the issues.

Referring to FIG. 4A, a passivation layer 136 is formed on the recesses132 to cover the surfaces of the recesses 132. The passivation layer 136is designed with composition and thickness to effectively isolate themetal residuals from the chlorine chemical during the subsequentoperations. The passivation layer 136 effectively eliminates (orsubstantially reduces) the metal assisted silicon etching, andaccordingly eliminates the formation of the associated defects. In someembodiments, the passivation layer 136 includes carbon, germanium,silicon carbide or silicon germanium. The passivation layer 136 isepitaxially grown on the surfaces of the recesses 132 and so is incrystalline structure. Thus, the subsequent operations can epitaxiallygrow on the passivation layer 136 and fill the recesses 132 with asemiconductor material in crystalline structure. During the formation ofthe passivation layer 136, the precursor is free of chlorine (Cl) toavoid direct reaction between chlorine and the metal residuals. Sincethe precursor is free of chlorine, the formation of the passivationlayer 136 does not involve etching and is nonselective. The passivationlayer 136 may also be formed on other regions, such as on the gate stackand STI features. Those unexpected portions of the passivation layer inother regions will be removed by subsequent operations, such asdeposition and etching process to fill the recesses. In some examples,the passivation layer 136 includes silicon or silicon carbide formed bya deposition with a precursor free of Cl. In some embodiments, thepassivation layer 136 has a thickness ranging from about 1 nm to about 4nm.

In one embodiment, the passivation layer 136 is a silicon carbide layerformed by a suitable process, such as CVD process, that epitaxiallygrows a silicon carbide layer using a precursor free of Cl. Infurtherance of the embodiment, the precursor includes monomethylsilane(CH₃SiH₃ or MMS) and silane (SiH₄). The silicon-containing chemical inthe precursor may alternatively include disilane (SiH₆), trisilane(Si₃H₈), other suitable silicon-containing chemical or a combinationthereof. In some examples, the precursor is free of chlorine. In thepresent example, the precursor is further free of dopant-containingchemical (free of phosphorous or other n-type dopant) as well. Thepassivation layer 136 is designed to be effective for diffusionprevention and inertness to etching. As an example for illustration,phosphorous is another issue in addition to the metal-assistant siliconetching. The phosphorous diffusion leads to the leakage and furtherleads to the degradation of device performance. The dopant-freeprecursor and corresponding dopant-free passivation layer 136 formedthereby address the above issues. In another examples, the precursor isprovided with proper gas flows and partial pressures such that theepitaxially grown passivation layer 136 of SiC has a carbonconcentration ranging from about 1.8% to about 3% (atomic percentage).The SiC layer with such low carbon concentration is not suitable forstrain effect but is more effective as the passivation layer forisolating and preventing diffusion. In yet some examples, thepassivation layer 136 is formed in both the recesses for nFET S/Dregions and the recesses for pFET S/D regions, such as illustrated inFIG. 4B. In FIG. 4B, the first active region 114A is for an nFET and thesecond active region 114B is for a pFET. In some examples, thepassivation layer 136 is dopant-free; has a carbon concentration rangingfrom about 1.8% to about 3% (atomic percentage); and is formed in formedin both the recesses for nFET S/D regions and the recesses for pFET S/Dregions.

In some embodiment, the passivation layer 136 is a silicon carbide layerformed by a suitable process, such as CVD process. The SiC passivationlayer 136 includes phosphorous (P) dopant with a low P dopingconcentration less than 1×10²⁰/cm³, or 0˜1×10²⁰/cm³. The P dopant may beintroduced by in-situ doping. During the epitaxial growth of thepassivation layer 136, the precursor further includesphosphorous-containing chemical, such as phosphine (PH₃). The Pconcentration in the SiC passivation layer 136 may be not enough for S/Dfeatures. S/D features of a nFET may have a P dopant concentrationgreater than 1×10²⁰/cm³. The P concentration of the SiC passivationlayer 136 is so tuned such that to provide a grading P concentrationwith smooth transition from the substrate to the S/D features and the Pconcentration is not too high to cause leakage concerns.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer 136 is a silicon layer formedby epitaxially growing a silicon layer using a precursor free of Cl. Infurtherance of the embodiment, the precursor includes SiH₄ or othersilicon-containing chemical. In the present embodiment, the precursorhas no dopant (free of phosphorous and boron-containing chemical) toprevent dopant diffusion. Accordingly, the corresponding siliconpassivation layer 136 is dopant-free. In some examples, the precursorduring the epitaxy growth has a low partial pressure ranging from about1 Torr to about 10 Torr.

In some embodiments, the passivation layer 136 is a silicon germanium(SiGe) layer formed by epitaxially growing a silicon germanium layerusing a precursor free of Cl. In furtherance of the embodiment, theprecursor includes a silicon-containing chemical (such as SiH₄) and agermanium-containing chemical (GeH₄). In the present embodiment, theprecursor has no dopant (free of phosphorous and boron-containingchemical) to prevent dopant diffusion. Accordingly, the correspondingSiGe passivation layer 136 is dopant-free (free of boron or other p-typedopant). In some examples, the SiGe passivation layer 136 has a Geconcentration ranging from about 10% to about 40% for enhancedeffectiveness of the passivation layer 136. In yet some examples, theSiGe passivation layer 136 is formed in both the recesses for nFET S/Dregions and the recesses for pFET S/D regions, such as illustrated inFIG. 4B. In FIG. 4B, the first active region 114A is for an nFET and thesecond active region 114B is for a pFET. In some examples, the SiGepassivation layer 136 is dopant-free; has a germanium concentrationranging from about 10% to about 40% (atomic percentage); and is formedin formed in both the recesses for nFET S/D regions and the recesses forpFET S/D regions. In some examples, the precursor during the epitaxygrowth has a low partial pressure ranging from about 1 Torr to about 10Torr.

In some embodiments, a fluorine (F) treatment is further applied to thepassivation layer 136. Fluorine has strong interaction with silicon ofthe passivation layer 136 by forming F—Si bonds), thereby reducingdangling bonds. As the passivation layer is thus enhanced and certaindamage to the active regions is also reduced. In some examples, the Ftreatment is a fluorine plasma treatment. Particularly, fluorine plasmais generated and is introduced to the passivation layer 136 in a plasmachamber. In further examples, the fluorine dose of the fluorinetreatment ranges from about 1×10¹⁴ to about 2×10¹⁵ ions/cm².Accordingly, thus formed passivation layer 136 a semiconductor layer(such as Si, SiC or SiGe as described above in various embodiments) hasa fluorine concentration ranging from about 1×10¹⁴ to about 2×10¹⁵ cm⁻².Note that the F concentration is defined as a number of fluorine atomsper unit area in the present example. In other examples, the F treatmentincludes applies a bias voltage ranging from 0.5 keV to about 5 keV. Insome examples, the F treatment is executed in the same apparatus used toform the passivation layer 136.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the recesses 132 are filled with a semiconductormaterial by a selective deposition process, thereby epitaxially growingsource and drain (S/D) features 138 in crystalline structure. Thedeposition process to form the S/D features 138 involves chlorine foretching effect and makes the deposition selective. The selectivedeposition process is designed and tuned to epitaxially grow such thatthe S/D features 138 formed in the recesses 132 include thesemiconductor material in a crystalline structure. The semiconductormaterial is different from that of the substrate 110. For example, thesemiconductor material includes silicon carbide or silicon germaniumwhile the substrate 110 is a silicon substrate. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor material is chosen for proper strained effect in thechannel region 118 such that the corresponding carrier mobility isincreased. In one example, the active region 114 is for a pFET, thesemiconductor material is silicon germanium doped with boron for S/Dfeatures 138 while the substrate 110 is a silicon substrate. In anotherexample, the active region 114 is for an nFET, the semiconductormaterial is silicon carbide doped with phosphorous for S/D features 138while the substrate 110 is a silicon substrate.

This is further illustrated in FIG. 5B in accordance with someembodiments. The semiconductor structure 100 includes the first activeregions 114A for a nFET and the second active region 114B for a pFET.The semiconductor structure 100 further includes the p-type doped well116A in the first active region 114A and the n-type doped well 116B inthe second active region 114B for the pFET. The semiconductor structure100 further includes the first gate stack 120A and the second gate stack120B, disposed within the first and second active regions, respectively.Particularly, the S/D features 138A are silicon carbide doped withphosphorous (SiC—P), providing tensile stress to the channel region 118Aof the nFET, according to one embodiment. In another embodiment, the S/Dfeatures 138B are silicon germanium doped with boron (SiGe—B), providingcompressive stress to the channel region 118B of the pFET. In some otherembodiments, the S/D features 138A of SiC—P and the S/D features 138B ofSiGe—P are both present in the semiconductor structure 100 and areformed respectively by a suitable procedure. In one example, theprocedure includes covering the first active region 114A using a firstmask while epitaxially growing SiGe—B in the recesses of the secondactive region 114B and covering the second active region 114B using asecond mask while epitaxially growing SiC—P in the recesses of the firstactive region 114A. The first and second masks may be patterned resistlayers formed by lithography or alternatively hard masks formed bydeposition and lithohraphy patterning. In yet other embodiments, the S/Dfeatures 138A are SiC—P while the S/D features 138B are silicon dopedwith boron (Si—B) or the S/D features 138A are silicon doped withphosphorous (Si—P) while the S/D features 138B are SiGe—B.

Still referring to FIG. 5B, while the S/D features 138A and 138B aredifferent as described above, the passivation layer 136 is same to bothactive regions 114A and 114B in terms of composition and formation, inaccordance with some embodiments, such as those in FIG. 4B. In oneexample, the passivation layer 136 includes a phosphorous-free SiC layerwith a carbon concentration ranging from about 1.8% to about 3%. Infurtherance of the example, the S/D features 138A include SiC—P (orSi—P) while the S/D features 138B may include SiGe—B (or Si—B). Inanother example, the passivation layer 136 includes a SiC—P layer with aphosphorous concentration less than 10⁻²⁰/cm³ and the S/D features 138Ainclude SiC—P with a phosphorous concentration greater than 10⁻²⁰/cm³.In yet another example, the passivation layer 136 is a SiGe layer freeof boron or other p-type dopant.

Still referring to FIG. 5B, the first gate electrode 124A and the secondgate electrode 124B may be same in composition (such as polysilicon) oralternatively different (such as the first gate electrode 124A includesa n-type work function metal layer and the second gate electrode 124Bincludes a p-type work function metal layer), such as in a gate-firstprocess to form metal gates.

The operation to form the S/D features is further described according tovarious embodiments. In some embodiments, the selective depositionprocess to form the S/D features 138 in the recesses 132 is a cyclicdeposition and etching (CDE) process. The semiconductor material isepitaxially grown in the recesses 132. In the present embodiment, theS/D features 138 are in-situ doped during the CDE process with precursorthat includes dopant-containing chemical. The CDE process is a two-cycleoperation with a precursor having chlorine for deposition/etchingeffects so that the semiconductor material is selectively deposited inthe recesses 132. In the first cycle (deposition cycle), the variouschemicals are used as precursor to epitaxially grow the semiconductormaterial. In the second cycle (etching cycle), chlorine-containing gas(such as HCl, Cl2 or both) is used for etching. The CDE process repeatsthe two cycles until the recesses 132 are filled or alternativelyovergrowing beyond the top surface of the substrate 110.

In some embodiments when an nFET is formed in the active region 114 inFIG. 5A (or 114A in FIG. 5B), the semiconductor material is siliconcarbide with phosphorous (P) dopant. In furtherance of the embodiments,the precursor used in the first cycle (deposition cycle) of the CDEprocess includes SiH₄ (and/or Si₂H₆), PH₃, and MMS. The second cycle(etching cycle) includes HCl or Cl₂. In one example, the HCl is providedwith a processing chamber pressure ranging from about 200 Torr to about250 Torr.

In some other embodiments when a pFET is formed in the active region 114in FIG. 5 (or 114B in FIG. 5B), the semiconductor material is silicongermanium with boron (B) dopant. In furtherance of the embodiments, theprecursor used in the first cycle (deposition cycle) of the CDE processincludes SiH₄ (and/or Si₂H₆), B₂H₆, and GeH₄. The second cycle (etchingcycle) includes HCl or Cl₂. In one example, the HCl is provided with aprocessing chamber pressure ranging from about 200 Torr to about 250Torr.

In some embodiments, the precursor used in the deposition cycle mayalternatively includes other silicon-containing chemical, such as silane(SiH₄), disilane (Si2H₆), trisilane (Si₃H₈), dichlorosilane (SiH₂Cl₂),another silicon-containing precursor, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the operation to form the S/D features 138 mayalternatively use other deposition technique, such as a depositionprocess that the deposition gas (chemicals for deposition) and etchinggas (chlorine-containing gas, such as Cl2 or HCl) are simultaneouslyflown to the processing chamber. Instead of two cycles, the operation isa continuous deposition/etching process that epitaxially grows thesemiconductor material selectively in the recesses 132. Thus, thedisclosed deposition of the semiconductor material to the recesses 132is insensitive to the metal residuals, eliminating the metal assistedsilicon etching issue and the associated defects. The deposition processis referred to as selective epitaxy growth (SEG) with co-flow deposition& etches chemicals, or simply referred to as co-flow epitaxy growth (orco-flow epitaxy deposition).

In some embodiments, the S/D features may be formed by a combination ofCDE and co-flow epitaxy growth. The S/D features 138A may include SiC—Pwith graded phosphorous concentration formed by two or more steps of CDEand co-flow eptaxy growth. For example, the the S/D features 138Aincludes first SiC—P layer; a second SiC—P layer on the first SiC—Player; and a third SiC—P layer on the second SiC—P layer with respectivedopant concentrations. In a particular example, the S/D features 138Ainclude the first SiC—P layer with a first phosphorous concentrationranging from about 10²⁰/cm³ to about 4×10²⁰/cm³ formed by a CDE processwith in-situ doping; the second SiC—P layer with a second phosphorousconcentration ranging from about 4×10²⁰/cm³ to about 10²¹/cm³ formed bya co-flow epitaxy growth with in-situ doping; and the third SiC—P layerwith a third phosphorous concentration ranging from about 10²¹/cm³ toabout 3×10²¹/cm³ formed by another co-flow epitaxy growth with in-situdoping. In furtherance of the example, the first, second and third SiC—Players have thicknesses 10 nm˜20 nm; 10 nm˜20 nm; and 5 nm 15 nm,respectively.

In some embodiments, the S/D features 138 are formed in the recesses 132such that the recesses 132 are substantially filled with a top surfacesubstantially coplanar to the substrate 110 (particularly, coplanar withthe top surface of the channel region 118, such as illustrated in FIG.5A or FIG. 5B. The S/D features 138 may have other alternatives in termsof composition, geometry and formation. As illustrated in FIG. 6, theS/D features 138 are over grown in the recesses 132 beyond the topsurface of the channel region 118.

The semiconductor structure 100 may include other features formed bycorresponding operations. In one embodiment, an interlayer dielectric(ILD) layer is formed by a deposition technique, such as chemical vapordeposition CVD and CMP. In another embodiment, an interconnect structureis formed and include various conductive features (such as metal lines,contact features and via features) configured to couple various devicesto form a functional circuit.

In other embodiments, the gate stack 120 is a dummy gate and is replacedby a gate stack having metal electrode and high-k dielectric in a gatereplacement procedure, such as a gate-last process or a high-k lastprocess. In a gate-last process, an interlayer dielectric (ILD) materiallayer is formed on the substrate and surrounding the gate stack 120, bydeposition and polishing (e.g., CMP). The gate electrode in the dummygate is removed by selective etching, resulting in a gate trench in theILD. Thereafter, a final gate stack is formed in the gate trench of theILD by a suitable procedure, such as deposition and CMP. A high-k-lastprocess is similar to the gate-last process but the gate dielectric ofthe dummy gate is treated differently. In the high-k-last process, thedummy gate stack (including both gate dielectric and gate electrode) isremoved after the ILD formation. Thereafter, a final gate stack isformed in the gate trench of the ILD.

One embodiment of the gate replacement is provided in FIGS. 7 and 8A forillustration. An ILD layer 142 is formed on the substrate 110 andsurrounding the dummy gate stack 120, by deposition and polishing (e.g.,CMP). The ILD material layer 142 includes one or more dielectric mmaterials, such as silicon oxide, fluorinated silica glass (FSG), low-kdielectric material or other suitable dielectric material. Thedeposition may include CVD or plasma-enhanced CVD or other suitabledeposition technique. The dummy gate stack 120 is removed by selectiveetching, resulting in a gate trench 144 in the ILD material layer 142.Thereafter, a gate stack 146 of high k dielectric and metal electrode isformed in the gate trench 144 by a suitable procedure that includesdeposition and CMP. Thus formed gate 146 includes gate dielectric 148and metal gate electrode 150. In a particular example, the gatedielectric 148 includes an interfacial layer of silicon oxide and ahigh-k dielectric layer on the interfacial layer.

The metal gate electrode 150 includes a metal layer 152 has a properwork function (a metal with a work function less than about 4.2 eV fornFET or greater than about 5.2 eV for pFET), such as tantalum for nFETand titanium nitride for pFET. The metal layer 152 is also referred toas work function (WF) layer, or particularly n-type WF layer or p-typeWF layer. The gate electrode 150 may include multiple conductive layers.For example, the gate electrode 150 includes the WF layer 152 on thegate dielectric feature 148 and a conductive layer 154 on the WF layer152. In one example, the WF layer 152 includes tantalum or titaniumnitride. In another example, the conductive layer 154 includes aluminum,tungsten, copper, doped polysilicon or a combination thereof. When thegate stack 146 is formed by a high-k last process, the gate dielectriclayer 148 is formed on bottom and sidewalls of the gate trench 144, oris U-shaped in other words.

Thus formed semiconductor structure 100 includes a gate stack,epiaxially grown S/D features of a semiconductor material different fromthat of the substrate; and a passivation layer disposed surrounding theS/D features and separating the S/D features from the substrate. Thepassivation layer effectively prevents the metal residual from directcontact with the Cl-containing chemical during the operations to formthe S/D features, thereby eliminating the defects associated with theinteraction between Cl and the metal residuals.

FIG. 8B illustrates a sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100that includes a first FET of a first conductivity and a second FET ofsecond conductivity opposite to the first conductivity. The firstconductivity is one of a n-type conductivity and a p-type conductivityand the second conductivity is another one. For example, the first andsecond FETs are nFET and pFET, respectively. The semiconductor structure100 in FIG. 8B includes a first metal gate stack 146A disposed on thefirst active region 114A for nFET and a second metal gate stack 146Bdisposed on the second active region 114B for pFET. The first metal gatestack 146A and the second metal gate stack 146B are both metal gatestacks formed by high-k last process. In the present embodiment, thefirst metal gate stack 146A and the second metal gate stack 146B aredifferent from each other in composition. Particularly, the first metalgate stack 146A includes a n-type WF layer 152A having a work functionless than about 4.2 eV (such tantalum) and a p-type WF layer 152B havinga work function greater than about 5.2 eV (such as tantalum nitride). Inone example of a procedure to form the metal gate stacks, the first gatestack 146A is formed within the first active region 114A while thesecond active region 114B is covered by a mask (such as a patternedresist layer or a patterned hard mask layer), and the second gate stack146B is formed within the second active region 114B while the firstactive region 114A is covered by another mask.

FIG. 9 illustrates a sectional view of the semiconductor structure 100in accordance with other embodiments. The semiconductor structure 100 inFIG. 9 is similar to that in FIG. 8A except for that the metal gatestack 146 is formed by a gate last process. Particularly, the gatedielectric layer 120 is formed before the formation of the ILD layer 142and therefore is not formed on the sidewalls of the gate trench 144.

As noted above, the described semiconductor structure 100 may be formedon a planar substrate or alternatively on a non-planar substrate, suchas a substrate having fin-like active region(s). FIGS. 10-12 illustratethe semiconductor structure 160 having fin-like active regions,constructed according to various aspects of the present disclosure insome embodiments. FIG. 10 is a top view of the semiconductor structure160. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the semiconductor structure 160along the dashed line AA′ and FIG. 12 is a sectional view of thesemiconductor structure 160 along the dashed line BB′. The semiconductorstructure 160 includes a first fin-like active region 114 and a secondfin-like active region 162 separated isolation features 112, such as STIfeatures. The semiconductor structure 160 further includes a gate stack146 formed over the first and second fin-like active regions.

For a fin-like active region, the top surface 164 of the semiconductorsubstrate 110 (specifically the top surface of the channel region 118)and the top surfaces 168 of the STI features 112 are not coplanar,resulting in a three-dimensional structure. A FET formed on a fin-likeactive region is also referred to as a fin FET (FinFET). As illustratedin FIG. 11, the active region 114 is extruded above the top surface 168of the STI features 112. The fin-like active regions are formed by asuitable technique, such as etching or epitaxy growth. In one example,after the formation of STI features 112, an etching process, such as wetetching, is applied to selectively etch the STI such that the STIfeatures 112 are recessed. In another example, after the formation ofSTI features 112, a selective epitaxy growth process is applied toepitaxially grow a semiconductor material on the semiconductor substrate110 such that the active region 114 is extended vertically above the topsurface of the STI features 112. The semiconductor material of the finactive regions may be same to that of the semiconductor substrate, suchas silicon, or alternatively different from that of the semiconductorsubstrate, such as silicon germanium. As illustrated in FIG. 12, thesecond fin active region 162 includes a doped well 170 and a channelregion 172 formed in the doped well channel region. The gate stack 146includes gate dielectric 148 and a gate electrode 150 formed by anyproper procedure, such as gate-last process or high-k last process. Eventhough the fin-like active regions are illustrated in FIGS. 10-12,various embodiments of the semiconductor structure 100 illustrated inFIG. 1A through 9 may also embrace a fin structure having fin-likeactive region(s) and FinFET(s).

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method 200 to form a semiconductor structure(such as 100 or 160) constructed according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure in some embodiments. The method 200 is described withreference to FIG. 8 and other figures. However, the semiconductorstructure 100 is provided as an example and is not intended to limit thescope of the method. The method 200 includes a block 202 by providing asemiconductor substrate 110, such as a silicon wafer. The semiconductorsubstrate 110 may further include other features/components, such asdoped well 116 and STI 112.

The method 200 also includes an operation 204 to form gate stack 120.The formation of the gate stack includes various depositions andpatterning. Other features, such as gate spacers 126 and LDD features128 may be further formed.

The method 200 includes an operation 206 by forming recesses 132. Therecesses 132 are formed in the semiconductor substrate within the activeregion 114 by an operation that includes etching. In some embodiments,the recesses 132 may be formed using, such as a wet (and/or dry) etchprocess selective to the material of the substrate 110. A cleaningprocess may follow the etching process using a suitable chemical. Theetching and/or cleaning processes may introduce metal residuals to therecesses 132.

The method 200 includes an operation 208 by forming a passivation layer136. The passivation material layer 136 is formed to cover the substrate110 and is designed with composition and thickness to effectivelyisolate the metal residuals from the chlorine chemical during thesubsequent operations, thereby eliminating the metal assisted siliconetching and eliminating the formation of the associated defects. In someembodiments, the passivation layer 136 includes carbon, germanium,silicon carbide or silicon germanium, such as those described in FIG.4A. The passivation layer 136 is epitaxially grown on the substrate 110and is formed by a non-selective epitaxy growth using a chlorine-freeprecursor. Note that the passivation layer 136 may be formed on otherregions (such as on STI features and/or on gate stack) withnon-crystalline structure but those portions of the passivation layer136 will eventually be removed, such as during the next operation 210.Thus, the passivation layer 136 within the recesses 132 is incrystalline structure so that the subsequent operations can epitaxiallygrow and fill the recesses 132 to from S/D features in crystallinestructure. During the formation of the passivation layer 136, theprecursor is free of chlorine (Cl) to avoid direct reaction between Cland the metal residuals. Since the precursor is free of Cl, thedeposition is nonselective and may also be formed on other regions, suchas on the gate stack and STI features. In some examples, the passivationlayer 136 includes silicon or silicon carbide formed by a depositionwith precursor free of Cl. In some embodiments, the passivation layer136 has a thickness ranging from about 1 nm to about 4 nm.

In one embodiment, the passivation layer 136 is a silicon carbide layerformed by epitaxially growing a silicon carbide layer using a precursorfree of Cl. In furtherance of the embodiment, the precursor includesmonomethylsilane (CH₃SiH₃ or MMS) and SiH4. The passivation layer 136may include a mono layer or multiple layers. In the present example, theprecursor is further free of dopant (such as free of phosphorous) toprevent dopant diffusion. In this case, the passivation layer 136 isfree of chlorine and dopant. In some embodiments, the precursor is tuned(by controlling gas flows for examples) to form a SiC layer.

In alternative embodiment, the passivation layer 136 is a silicon layerformed by epitaxially growing a silicon layer using a precursor free ofCl. In furtherance of the embodiment, the precursor includes SiH₄. Thepassivation layer may include a mono layer or multiple layers. In thepresent embodiment, the precursor includes no dopant (such asphosphorous or boron-containing chemical) to prevent dopant diffusion.In some other embodiments, the passivation layer 136 may include is agermanium layer or a silicon germanium layer.

The method 200 includes an operation 210 to form S/D feature 138 byepitaxial growing in the recesses 132 with a semiconductor materialdifferent from that of the substrate 110 for strain effect. Theoperation 210 involves chlorine for etching effect and therefore isselective. The deposition occurs on the substrate 110 and also on otherregions (such as STI and gate stacks) with different deposition ratesand structures. The chlorine-containing gas provides etching effect suchthat the semiconductor material deposited on the other regions (such ason STI features and/or gate stack) is completely removed, making theoperation 210 a selective deposition. The semiconductor materialdeposited in the recesses 132 is crystalline since the passivation layer136 is crystalline and serves as a seed layer for epitaxy growth.

In some embodiments, the operation 210 includes a CDE process. Therecesses 132 are filled with the semiconductor material by a CDEprocess, thereby forming S/D features 138. The semiconductor material isdifferent from that of the substrate 110. For example, the semiconductormaterial includes silicon carbide or silicon germanium while thesubstrate 110 is a silicon substrate. In the present embodiment, thesource and drain features 138 are in-situ doped during the CDE processduring the CDE process with precursor that includes dopant-containingchemical. The CDE process is a two cycle operation. In the first cyclefor deposition, various chemicals are used as precursor to epitaxiallygrow the semiconductor material. In the second cycle, achlorine-containing gas (such as HCl, Cl₂ or both) is used for etching.The CDE process repeats the two cycles until the recesses 132 are filledor alternatively overgrowing beyond the top surface of the substrate110.

In some embodiments when an nFET is formed in the active region 114, thesemiconductor material is silicon carbide with phosphorous (P) dopant.In furtherance of the embodiments, the precursor used in the first cycle(deposition cycle) of the CDE process includes SiH₄ (and/or Si₂H₆), PH₃,and MMS. The second cycle (etching cycle) includes HCl or Cl₂. In oneexample, the HCl is provided with a processing chamber pressure rangingfrom about 200 Torr to about 250 Torr.

In some other embodiments when a pFET is formed in the active region114, the semiconductor material is silicon germanium with boron (B)dopant. In furtherance of the embodiments, the precursor used in thefirst cycle (deposition cycle) of the CDE process includes SiH₄ (and/orSi₂H₆), B₂H₆, and GeH₄. The second cycle (etching cycle) includes HCl orCl₂. In one example, the HCl is provided with a processing chamberpressure ranging from about 200 Torr to about 250 Torr.

In some embodiments, the precursor used in the deposition cycle includessilane, disilane, trisilane, Dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl₂), anothersilicon-containing precursor, and/or any combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the operation 210 may use a co-low depositionprocess. In the co-flow epitaxy growth, the chemicals for deposition andchlorine-containing gas are simultaneously flown to the processingchamber for continuous and simultaneous deposition/etching effect. Thechemicals for deposition and the chlorine-containing gas are similar tothose used in the CDE process.

Other fabrication steps may be implemented before, during and after theoperations of the method. In one embodiment, an inter-level dielectric(ILD) layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate. The ILD layerincludes silicon oxide, low k dielectric material, other suitabledielectric materials, or combinations thereof. The ILD layer is formedby a suitable technique, such as CVD. For example, high density plasmaCVD may be implemented to form the ILD layer.

In another embodiment, the method further includes a procedure to formvarious interconnection features designed to couple various devices toform a functional circuit. The interconnection features include verticalinterconnects, such as contacts and vias, and horizontal interconnects,such as metal lines. The various interconnection features may usevarious conductive materials including copper, tungsten and silicide. Inone example, a damascene process is used to form copper-based multilayerinterconnection structure. In another embodiment, tungsten is used toform tungsten plug in the contact holes. In another example, silicide isused to form various contact on source and drain regions for reducedcontact resistance.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method 220 to form a semiconductor structureconstructed according to various aspects of the present disclosure insome other embodiments. The method 220 is similar to the method 200.However, the method 220 further includes an operation 222 implementedbetween the operations 208 and 210. The operation 222 includes applyinga fluorine treatment process to the passivation layer 136. In someembodiments, the F treatment is a fluorine plasma treatment.Particularly, fluorine plasma is generated in a plasma chamber and isintroduced to the passivation layer 136. In further examples, thefluorine dose of the fluorine treatment ranges from about 1×10¹⁴ to2×10¹⁵ ions/cm². Accordingly, thus formed passivation layer 136 asemiconductor layer (such as Si, SiC or SiGe as described above invarious embodiments) has a fluorine concentration ranging from about1×10¹⁴ to 2×10¹⁵ cm⁻². In other examples, the F treatment includesapplies a bias voltage ranging from 0.5 keV to about 5 keV. In someexamples, the F treatment is executed in the same apparatus used to formthe passivation layer 136. Fluorine has a strong interaction withsilicon and forms F—Si bonds, reduces the dangling bonds, and thereforereducing/eliminating subsequent damages to the substrate, particularlythe portions underlying the passivation layer 136. After the F treatmentto the passivation layer 136, the method 220 proceeds to the operation210 by epitaxially growing a semiconductor material in the recesses 132.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a method 230 to form a semiconductor structureconstructed according to various aspects of the present disclosure insome other embodiments. The method 230 is designed to form epitaxy grownS/D features while the metal assisted silicon etching effect and theassociated defects are eliminated or substantially reduced. The method230 includes blocks 202-206 similar to those of the method 200.

After the formation of the recesses 132 in the substrate 110 by theoperation 206, the method 230 proceeds to an operation 232 to form theS/D features 138 in the recesses 132. The operation 232 includes anepitaxy deposition with a varying etching/deposition factor.Particularly, the operation 232 epitaxially grows a semiconductormaterial in the recesses 132 with both deposition and etching effects.During the operation 232, a chlorine-containing gas (such as Cl2 or HCl)is introduced into the processing chamber for etching effect, thusmaking the epitaxy deposition selective (selectively growing on asubstrate 110). In various embodiments, the operation 232 includes a CDEprocess, a co-flow epitaxy growth, or a combination thereof. Variousaspects of the CDE and co-flow epitaxy growth are described above andare not repeated here. An etching/deposition (E/D) factor is introducedand defined to characterize the epitaxy deposition 232. The E/D factoris defined as a ratio of the etch amount over the deposition amount tothe semiconductor substrate during a certain process time. The E/Dfactor ranges from 0 to a value less than 1. The epitaxy deposition 232is implemented in a way such that the E/D factor varies over the epitaxydeposition process, particularly increases over the process. The epitaxydeposition 232 and the E/D factor are further described below inaccordance with some embodiments.

As described above with the method 200, a CDE process includes adeposition cycle (or D cycle) and an etching cycle (or E cycle) repeatedmultiple times. The E/D factor is variable by varying one or moreparameters, such as processing temperature, gas flow, gas partialpressure, E cycle duration, D cycle duration, a ratio of E cycles over Dcycles, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the duration of Dcycle and the duration of E cycles (or a ratio of D duration over Eduration) are tuned to vary the E/D factor. As an example forillustration, a CDE process may have 15 second deposition and then 10second etching for one E/D factor, or have 10 second deposition and then6 second etching for another E/D factor. In another embodiment, thenumber of E cycles and the number D cycles (or a ratio of E cycles overD cycles) are tuned to vary the E/F factor. As an example forillustration, a CDE process may have 2 deposition cycles and 1 etchingcycle for one E/D factor, or have 1 deposition cycle and 1 etching cyclefor another E/D factor. In another embodiment, the substrate temperatureis varied to vary the E/D factor. In an example for illustration, duringan etching cycle of the CDE process, the substrate temperature isdecreased to reduce the etching effect, therefore decreasing the E/Dfactor. In another embodiment, the E/D factor is tuned by reducing thedeposition gas pressure (or deposition gas flow rate) to increase theE/D factor. In yet another embodiment, the E/D factor is tuned byreducing the etching gas pressure (or etching gas flow rate) to decreasethe E/D factor.

In a co-flow epitaxy growth, the E/D factor is varied similarly. In oneembodiment, the substrate temperature is varied to vary the E/D factor.For example, the etching effect is apparent only when the substratetemperature is at or greater than 620 C. When the substrate temperatureis increased to above 620 C, thereby increasing the etching effect,therefore increasing the E/D factor. In another embodiment, the E/Dfactor is tuned by reducing the deposition gas partial pressure (ordeposition gas flow rate) to increase the E/D factor. In yet anotherembodiment, the E/D factor is tuned by reducing the etching gas partialpressure (or etching gas flow rate) to decrease the E/D factor.

In the operation 210 of the method 200, the E/D factor in thecorresponding CDE process or co-flow epitaxy growth is a constant overthe process. In the operation 232, the E/D factor is a varying parameterthat increases over the process. Initially, the E/D factor is lessenough such that the metal assisted silicon etching is eliminated orsubstantially reduced. Then, the E/D factor is increased over theprocess time, thereby making the epitaxy process 232 selective.

In some embodiments, the epitaxy deposition process in the operation 232includes a first deposition step 234 having a first E/D factor and asecond deposition step 236 having a second E/D factor. It is furtherillustrated in FIG. 15. At the first deposition step 234, the epitaxydeposition process is controlled to have the first E/D factor 242 thatis chosen to substantially reduce the chlorine and reduces theinteraction between the chlorine and the metal residuals. The first E/Dfactor 242 ranges from zero to about 0.2 in some examples. The firstdeposition step 234 is not selective. At the second deposition step 236,the second E/D factor 244 is tuned such that the epitaxy depositionprocess selectively deposits on the substrate 110. The second E/D factor244 is greater than the first E/D factor 242. The second E/D factor 244ranges from about 0.2 to about 0.5 in some examples. Note the depositionat the first deposition step 234 is not selective or has no enoughselectivity. Any unexpected deposition to other regions (such as STIfeatures and gate stack) during the first deposition step will beremoved during the second deposition step due to the increased etchingeffect.

In the operation 232, the corresponding deposition technique may be aCDE process, co-flow epitaxy growth or a combination. In some otherembodiments, as long as the two deposition steps are tuned to addressthe metal related defects and deposition selectivity, the deposition gas(not etching gas) may include chlorinated chemical. For example, theSiH₂Cl₂ may be used as a silicon-containing gas in the operation 232.

In some examples, the epitaxy deposition process 232 is a CDE process.The first deposition step 234 has a HCl (or Cl₂) partial pressure lessthan 100 Torr for the etch cycle(s) while the second deposition step 236has a HCl (or Cl₂) partial pressure greater than 100 Torr for the etchcycle(s). In some other examples, the epitaxy deposition process 232 isa co-flow epitaxy epitaxy growth. The first deposition step 234 has aHCl (or Cl₂) partial pressure less than 3 Torr while the seconddeposition step 236 has a HCl (or Cl₂) partial pressure greater than 3Torr.

In some other examples, the epitaxy deposition process 232 is a co-flowepitaxy growth (or a CDE process). The E/D factor is tuned by thesubstrate temperature. As noted above, the etch effect is apparent whenthe substrate temperature is greater than 620 C. The first depositionstep 234 has a first substrate temperature less than about 620 C and thesecond deposition step 236 has a second substrate temperature greaterthan 620 C.

In some other embodiments, the operation 232 uses a co-flow epitaxygrowth that with two steps: a first deposition step 234 with a first E/Dfactor and a second deposition step 236 with a second E/D factor greaterthan the first E/D factor. During the co-flow epitaxy growth, thedeposition gas and etching gas are dynamically controlled, such as bycontrolling gas flow rates, to dynamically change the E/D factor withconsiderations similar to those described with the CDE process. Forexample, the etching gas flow rate is initially zero or lower. Then theetch gas flow rate increases over processing time. At the firstdeposition step 234, the chlorine (e.g., HCl) gas partial pressure inthe processing chamber is low, such as ranging from about 1 Torr toabout 10 Torr in some examples. At the second deposition step 236, thechlorine gas partial pressure in the processing chamber is greater thanthat of the first deposition step 225, such as ranging from about 200Torr to about 250 Torr in some examples.

In some other embodiments, the epitaxy deposition process 232 isdesigned such that the E/D factor has a step-wise variation over theprocess. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the E/D factor 246 is step-wise overthe process time. Again, the variation of the E/D factor may beimplemented through one or more mechanisms, such as gas flow, gaspartial pressure, and substrate temperature. The deposition mechanismmay be CDE, co-flow epiatxy growth or a combination.

In some embodiments, the operation 232 is designed such that the E/Dfactor varies continuously over the process. The E/D factor varies in arange from 0 to 1. During the operation 232, the E/D factor dynamicallychanges for various considerations that include the depositionselectivity, the metal assisted silicon etching issues and/or depositionquality. Initially, the metal assisted silicon etching issues is theprime concern, so the E/D factor is chosen to be lower. At the laterstage of the operation 232, the deposition selectivity is a dominantwhile the metal assisted silicon etching issue is subordinate.Therefore, the E/D factor is increased. The E/D factor may be is aproper function of the process time, such as a linear function or anon-linear function. Illustrated in FIG. 18 is an example that the E/Dfactor 248 is a linear function of the process time. Illustrated in FIG.19 is another example that the E/D factor 250 is a non-linear functionof the process time. It may be tuned and optimized for betterfabrication result in consideration of various factors, such as thesemiconductor material to be deposited, processing throughput, anddevice tolerance range to the defects associated with the metal assistedsilicon etching effect.

Other fabrication steps may be implemented before, during and after theoperations of the method. In one embodiment, an inter-level dielectric(ILD) layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate. The ILD layerincludes silicon oxide, low k dielectric material, other suitabledielectric materials, or combinations thereof. The ILD layer is formedby a suitable technique, such as CVD. For example, high density plasmaCVD may be implemented to form the ILD layer. In another embodiment, agate replacement procedure may be implemented to form a final gate stackhaving high k dielectric and metal gate electrode. In anotherembodiment, the method further includes a procedure to form variousinterconnection features designed to couple various devices to form afunctional circuit.

The present disclosure provides a method and structure of a FET thataddressing the defect issue associated with the metal residuals andchlorine. The method includes forming a passivation layer in therecesses of the semiconductor substrate before expitaxially growing asemiconductor material to form S/D features in the recesses. Thepassivation layer is designed with composition, thickness andconfiguration to effectively prevent the interaction betweenCl-containing chemical and the metal residual in the recesses. In otherembodiments, a fluorine treatment is further applied to the passivationlayer to enhance its effectiveness. In other embodiments, the methodimplements a deposition method to epitaxially growing S/D features witha varying E/D factor. The E/D factor varies over the processing time toaddress the defect issue associated with the metal residuals andchlorine. The E/D factor is chosen to be lower initially to address thedefect issue, and then is increased over time to enhance the depositionselectivity.

The semiconductor structure 100 may be used in various applications,such as logic circuit, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), staticrandom access memory (SRAM) cells, flash memory, or imaging sensor. Thesemiconductor structure is a planar FET structure or alternatively aFinFET structure. In other embodiments, the disclosed method toselectively deposit a semiconductor material layer may be used to formother epitaxy features with substantially reduced metal sensitivityduring the process. In one example for a FET with epitaxy grown channelregion, the method is described below: the dummy gate is removed to forma gate trench; the substrate is recessed within the gate trench;epitaxially growing a semiconductor material in the recessed region bythe disclosed deposition method.

The present disclosure provides a method forming a field effecttransistor (FET) in accordance with some embodiments. The methodincludes performing an etching process to a semiconductor substrate,thereby forming recesses in source and drain (S/D) regions of thesemiconductor substrate; forming a passivation material layer of a firstsemiconductor in the recesses; and epitaxially growing a secondsemiconductor material, thereby forming S/D features in the recesses,wherein the S/D features are separated from the semiconductor substrateby the passivation material layer.

The present disclosure provides a method forming a field effecttransistor (FET) in accordance with some other embodiments. The methodincludes performing an etching process to a semiconductor substrate,thereby forming recesses in source and drain (S/D) regions of thesemiconductor substrate; and epitaxially growing a semiconductormaterial by a deposition process with a varying etching/deposition (E/D)factor, thereby forming S/D features in the recesses.

The present disclosure provides an integrated circuit structure inaccordance with some embodiments. The integrated circuit structureincludes a semiconductor substrate of a first semiconductor material andhaving first recesses; a first gate stack formed on the semiconductorsubstrate and being adjacent the first recesses; a passivation materiallayer of a second semiconductor material and formed in the firstrecesses; and first source and drain (S/D) features of a thirdsemiconductor material and formed in the first recesses and beingseparated from the semiconductor substrate by the passivation materiallayer, wherein the passivation material layer is free of chlorine.

The foregoing has outlined features of several embodiments. Thoseskilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use thepresent disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processesand structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving thesame advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled inthe art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and thatthey may make various changes, substitutions and alterations hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of forming a field effect transistor(FET), the method comprising: performing an etching process to asemiconductor substrate, thereby forming recesses in source and drain(S/D) regions of the semiconductor substrate; forming, by anon-selective deposition process, a passivation material layer of afirst semiconductor material in the recesses; and epitaxially growing asecond semiconductor material on the passivation material layer, therebyforming S/D features in the recesses, wherein the S/D features areseparated from the semiconductor substrate by the passivation materiallayer, wherein the first semiconductor material is different than thesecond semiconductor material, wherein the epitaxially growing of thesecond semiconductor material includes performing a cyclic depositionand etching (CDE) process having a first deposition step and a seconddeposition step, and wherein the first deposition step and the seconddeposition step are performed at different temperatures.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the forming of the passivation material layerincludes performing the non-selective deposition process using aprecursor free of chlorine.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein theforming of the passivation material layer includes epitaxially growingthe passivation material layer of the first semiconductor material. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the first semiconductor material includessilicon carbide and the second semiconductor material includes silicongermanium.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the forming of thepassivation material layer includes epitaxially growing the passivationmaterial layer of the first semiconductor material that is free ofdopant, using the precursor free of dopant-containing gas.
 6. The methodof claim 3, wherein the forming of the passivation material layerincludes forming a silicon carbide layer having a carbon atomicpercentage ranging from 1.8% to 3%.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe forming of the passivation material layer includes forming thepassivation material layer with a thickness ranging from 1 nm to 4 nm,effectively preventing interaction between chlorine and metal residualsunder the passivation material layer.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising performing a fluorine treatment to the passivation materiallayer before the epitaxially growing of the second semiconductormaterial.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the performing of thefluorine treatment includes performing the fluorine treatment with afluorine dose ranging from 1×10¹⁴ ions/cm² to 2×10¹⁵ ions/cm².
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the epitaxially growing of the secondsemiconductor material includes epitaxially growing the secondsemiconductor material with in-situ doping one of a n-type dopant and ap-type dopant.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the CDE processincludes a first cycle for deposition and a second cycle for etching;and the second cycle uses a chlorine-containing gas that includes atleast one of HCl and Cl₂.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the firstcycle of the CDE process uses a precursor that includes PH₃,monomethylsilane (MMS), and at least one of SiH₄ and Si₂H₆.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the first cycle of the CDE process uses aprecursor that includes B₂H₆, GeH₄, and at least one of SiH₄ and Si₂H₆.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the passivation material layer isformed by the non-selective deposition process using a precursor thatincludes monomethylsilane (MMS) and at least one of silane (SiH₄) anddisilane (SiH₆).
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising: prior toepitaxially growing the second semiconductor material, doping thepassivation layer with fluorine atoms to form a fluorine-dopedpassivation layer; and epitaxially growing a second semiconductormaterial on the fluorine-doped passivation material layer.
 16. A methodof forming a field effect transistor (FET), the method comprising:performing an etching process to a semiconductor substrate, therebyforming recesses in source and drain (S/D) regions of the semiconductorsubstrate; and epitaxially growing a semiconductor material by adeposition process with a varying etching/deposition (E/D) factor,thereby forming S/D features in the recesses, wherein the depositionprocess includes a co-flow epitaxy growth, wherein the depositionprocess includes a first deposition step performed at a first substratetemperature and a second deposition step performed after the firstdeposition step, and wherein the second deposition step is performed ata second substrate temperature different than the first substratetemperature.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first depositionstep has a first etch/deposition (E/D) factor and the second depositionstep has a second E/D factor greater than the first E/D factor.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the first deposition step is a non-selectivedeposition; and the second deposition step is a selective deposition.19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first substrate temperature isless than 620° C.; and the second substrate temperature is greater than620° C.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the deposition processincludes a combination of the co-flow epitaxy growth and a cyclicdeposition and etching (CDE) process.
 21. The method of claim 16,wherein the epitaxially growing of the semiconductor material includesvarying the E/D factor by a mechanism selected from gas partialpressure, gas flow rate, substrate temperature, and a combinationthereof.
 22. The method of claim 16, wherein the varying E/D factorincludes a step-wise varying E/D factor.
 23. A method of forming a fieldeffect transistor (FET), the method comprising: performing an etchingprocess to a semiconductor substrate, thereby forming recesses in sourceand drain (S/D) regions of the semiconductor substrate; forming, by anon-selective deposition process, a passivation layer of a firstsemiconductor material in the recesses; after forming the passivationlayer of the first semiconductor material, doping the passivation layerwith fluorine atoms to form a fluorine-doped passivation layer; andepitaxially growing a second semiconductor material over thefluorine-doped passivation layer, thereby forming S/D features in therecesses, wherein the first semiconductor material is different than thesecond semiconductor material, and wherein the epitaxially growing thesecond semiconductor material includes performing a cyclic depositionand etching (CDE) process having a first deposition step performed at afirst temperature and a second deposition step performed at a secondtemperature different than the first temperature.
 24. The method ofclaim 23, wherein the doping is performed by a fluorine plasmatreatment.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the fluorine-dopedpassivation layer has a fluorine concentration per unit area rangingfrom 1×10¹⁴ cm⁻² to 2×10¹⁵ cm⁻².
 26. The method of claim 23, wherein theforming of the passivation layer includes performing the non-selectivedeposition process using a precursor free of chlorine; and theepitaxially growing of the second semiconductor material includes anetching process using a chlorine-containing gas.
 27. The method of claim23, wherein the forming of the passivation layer includes epitaxiallygrowing the first semiconductor material that is free of dopant, using aprecursor free of dopant-containing gas.
 28. The method of claim 27,wherein the epitaxially growing of the second semiconductor materialincludes in-situ doping one of a n-type dopant and a p-type dopant tothe second semiconductor material.
 29. The method of claim 23, whereinthe passivation layer is formed by the non-selective deposition processusing a precursor that includes monomethylsilane (MMS) and at least oneof silane (SiH₄) and disilane (SiH₆).